Taking pictures for memories

Question

Some people say taking pictures and keeping them at home is haraam, is this true?. Because in N. America and Europe for example we heard every day a missing children and with out their recent picture it is difficult to trace them, so could you explain to me what kind of pictures is haraam and what kind is not haraam, because I like to take pictures from my children just for memory and I keep them at home, am I commiting a sin, please specify for me and give me some daliil.

Answer

Praise be to Allaah.

The basic principle concerning making pictures of any
animate being, whether it is a human or any animal, is that it is haraam,
whether the pictures are three-dimensional or are drawn on paper, cloth
or walls, etc., or are photographs (taken with a camera), because of
the reports in the saheeh ahaadeeth which state that that is not allowed,
and threaten the one who does that with a painful torment, and because
they may lead to shirk in the form of standing respectfully before
them, humbling oneself before them, drawing close to them and venerating
them in a manner that is only befitting for Allaah. They are also forbidden
because this is a kind of trying to match the creation of Allaah, and
because of the temptation inherent in some of them, such as pictures
of actresses and naked women, and so-called beauty queens.

Among the ahaadeeth which state that this is haraam and
that it is a major sin is the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be
pleased with him), who said, “I heard the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: ‘Whoever makes an image
in this world will be told to breathe the soul into it on the Day of
Resurrection, and he will never be able to do that.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari
and Muslim). He [Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him)] also
narrated that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every image-maker will be
in the Fire, and every image that he made will be made to appear to
him and will torment him in Hell.” Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “If you must do
that, then make trees and things that have no soul.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari
and Muslim). The general meaning of the ahaadeeth is that it is absolutely
forbidden to make images of anything that has a soul.

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 1/456-457

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said, when he was asked about pictures:
making pictures for this purpose is haraam and is not permitted. That
is because making pictures for memories is haraam, because the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said, “The angels do not enter any house in which there
is an image,” (narrated by al-Bukhaari, Bid’ al-Khalq, 2986),
and whatever the angels do not enter had no goodness in it.